Saved By The Mad Duke
Chapter 67: Too Soon

Chapter 67: Too Soon

"Right... Right now?"

Aideen could not tell why she was caught off-guard by the Duke’s seemingly harmless request. It was true that she kept practicing the intricate art of writing, even while she was taking a bath, trying to wash off the results of her previous practice session, which gave Safie quite a hard time. However, although she was sure that she did everything right, there was still no one to confirm that her writing of her own name was correct.

But what did she have to be afraid of anyway? Tillian, much like Ahspid, was there to help her, and he would never dare to make fun of her even if she made a mistake. After all, she had only just started her learning journey.

With the newfound confidence prompted by such thoughts, the lady slid the sheet of paper closer to her and placed her right hand on its smooth surface.

Careful and considerate of his every move, Duke Valentine placed the quill into Aideen’s hand, positioning a small ink bottle right next to it as well.

"Whenever you are ready, Your Highness. Do not be afraid; I won’t judge. I simply want to admire your progress."

He stepped away from her, giving Aideen more time to muster her courage while he moved his chair from across the desk and placed it right next to the lady’s. The Duke then took a seat beside the princess and leaned over her left shoulder, fixing his curious gaze on the still-empty sheet of paper.

’He is so close... I can feel his breath brushing over my shoulder and cheek. It’s so warm and smells like wine...’

Shaking her head as if to get rid of unnecessary thoughts, the young woman tightened her grip around the quill but then quickly loosened it, scared to break yet another innocent writing device. With a slightly trembling yet determined move of her right hand, she dipped the quill into the ink bottle and pressed the tip against the paper, ready to write.

’Alright, I can do this. There is nothing to be shy about. It starts with A, the very first letter...’

Slowly and carefully, Aideen finally started to move the tip of the quill over the white surface of the paper, diligently outlining every single letter several times, repeating the same routine she used for her practice with Ahspid.

Tillian watched as she kept writing, more interested in her serious expression and furrowed eyebrows. When the tension in the princess’s entire body became overwhelming, she stuck her tongue slightly out, which made him finally lose control over his emotions, resulting in him releasing a hearty chuckle.

"Ah!"

Startled by his unexpected expression of emotions, Aideen dropped the quill, marring the final letter of her name with quite a nasty ink stain, and turned her face toward the Duke, shooting him a rather cold, piercing glare.

"Your Grace! I was almost done!"

Still struggling to contain his emotions, Duke Valentine leaned over the woman’s shoulder once more and examined the writing presented on the paper in rather bold letters. He remained silent, mostly to tease the princess some more, and when the lady’s patience finally ran thin, she arched her eyebrows, expressing her anxious anticipation, and whispered,

"What do you think, Your Grace? Did I make a mistake?"

With a wide smile gracing his full lips, Tillian gently placed his right hand on top of Aideen’s head and whispered back,

"No, Your Highness, you got it right. You have written your name correctly. Well done."

Blushing and smiling uncontrollably, the young woman was practically shining with pride, which felt irresistibly contagious as the Duke, too, felt the warmth of her invisible light envelop his whole body.

As his eyes focused on the princess’s smiling face, he felt a strong sense of calm settle deep within his heart – it felt perfect; the two of them being so close, so free, so intimate. And he wanted more.

"Your Highness?"

His voice brushed over Aideen’s earlobe as he moved his face closer one more time, continuing in a quiet, low voice,

"Would you like to learn how to write my name as well?"

With every word he spoke, his breath sent light goosebumps all over the princess’s skin, while the pink hue of shyness reached even the skin on the back of her neck.

Nodding slowly and hesitantly, she finally answered,

"Yes... Yes, I would love to, Your Grace."

Curling his lips into a cunning grin, Tillian hid Aideen’s right hand inside his big right palm and guided their joined hands toward the small bottle of ink. Once the tip of the quill emerged covered in black, he moved their hands back to the sheet of paper, paused for a brief second, and started moving again, explaining in a hoarse whisper,

"We start with the letter T..."

The man’s extremely close proximity to her own body, his low, enchanting voice, the warmth of his skin around her hand, and his hot breath – there was no way the princess could focus on writing; every second that stretched in the air of the study felt like an eternity and was filled with an overwhelming sense of tension.

The rapid and loud sound of the woman’s heartbeat echoed in her ears like a crazy drumroll, and before she could get back to her senses completely, Duke Valentine’s hand stopped moving, ceasing his guidance over the writing of his name.

"That’s it, this is how you write my name, Your Highness."

Startled, Aideen widened her eyes, freed her right hand from Tillian’s tender grip, and slid it over the fresh writing, smearing the ink over the surface of the paper, her mind a frantic mess of swarming thoughts.

’What do I do? I wasn’t paying attention, and now it’s over! How embarrassing!’

"Your Highness? Are you alright? Your hand is all dirty now!"

The Duke quickly pulled out a new silk handkerchief from the pocket of his jacket and started wiping the princess’s hand while the latter silently moved her eyes over the ruined sheet of paper, completely uncertain of what to do next.

"I’m sorry if it was too much for you, My Lady! I only wanted to contribute to your learning; perhaps it was too soon..."

"No, Your Grace, it’s not that––"

Unfortunately, or perhaps not, Aideen could not finish her explanation as her words were interrupted by a rhythmic knock on the study’s door.